BUFFALO – Coach Lindy Ruff said this morning that forwards Josh Norris, Tyson Kozak and Jason Zucker are all available to play tonight in Game 5 as the Sabres try to clinch their first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
But will they all play?
Norris did not take any line rushes during the morning skate and was one of the last Sabres off the ice, meaning he will likely miss his third straight game with an undisclosed injury.
Norris crashed into the boards in last Tuesday’s 4-2 home loss.
“I feel good,” Norris said in KeyBank Center.
Meanwhile, Kozak and Zucker, both of whom left Sunday afternoon’s 6-1 win in Boston early with undisclosed injuries, skated on their regular lines.
Kozak centered Jordan Greenway and Beck Malenstyn. Zucker skated at left wing alongside center Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn.
After winning both games in Boston, the Sabres, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, can secure their first series win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2007.
Ruff, of course, knows closing out the Bruins won’t be easy.
“I think we’ve responded to all the challenges from the start of the year,” he said. “After Game 2, we responded. We know that they’re going to bring their best. They’re in a situation where, again, they’re going to be desperate, they’re going to be all in on every situation.
“But I really felt after Game 2, we were kind of in the same situation. We needed to respond. We needed to play better. We did, and I thought Game 4, I thought we played even better. We talked about there’s areas of the game we really feel we can still ramp it up.”